Walcott now envious that Man Utd have ‘outstanding’ star who Arsenal should’ve signed ‘many years ago’

Theo Walcott has heaped praise on Manchester United duo Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha following their stellar starts to life at Old Trafford.The M16 faithful have been counting their blessings that INEOS pursued the Premier League-proven duo over any potential alternatives, as both have been as impactful as you’d hope from any new signing.Cunha bags first United goal in Seagulls win(Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)It took Cunha until last Saturday’s win over Brighton and Hove Albion to register his first goal contribution, doing so when he opened the scoring in the 24th minute with a sensational finish past Bart Verbruggen.Later in the contest, after Casemiro had extended the Reds’ lead to two goals, Mbeumo added to his tally – six days on from his emphatic display at Anfield to help United claim their first win at the ground in nine-and-a-half years.The Cameroonian found the back of the net in the 61st minute before doing so again in the seventh minute of injury time. The latter allowed supporters – and Ruben Amorim – to breathe a collective sigh of relief after Brighton had managed to pull two late goals back via former Red Danny Welbeck (74’) and Charalampos Kostoulas (90+2’). Bryan Mbeumo was voted Premier League player of the week for his performance vs. Brighton 🤝 A Man United player has won it for a second week in a row 👏 pic.twitter.com/kiw8ug95Vy — ESPN UK (@ESPNUK) October 28, 2025Walcott wishes Arsenal had signed ‘incredible’ Mbeumo(Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)In the summer, United spent almost two months negotiating Mbeumo’s arrival from Brentford.They had two separate bids rejected by the Bees, who were standing firm in their demands for their talisman amid interest from a host of top clubs.The forward only had eyes for United, though, so, after INEOS’ £65m proposal was – perhaps begrudgingly – accepted by the West London outfit, Mbeumo put pen to paper on a five-year deal.Reacting to how Amorim’s Reds claimed three successive league wins, Walcott singled out Cunha and Mbeumo for their efforts on The Overlap US, saying: “You have Cunha coming back and defending as well, and Mbeumo, who I think is outstanding.“You look at players away from the Premier League who come into the Premier League, they take time. These guys [like Mbeumo] were built for Premier League football.“I think Mbeumo has been incredible, and he’s a player Arsenal should have bought many years ago.” Footage courtesy of The Overlap.